100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation – Is Dedicated to Helping Cities around the World Build Resilience to the Physical, Social, and Economic Challenges That Are a Growing Part of the 21st Century

Microsoft Joins Growing Group of Private Sector Actors Partnering with 100RC to Help Cities Become More Resilient, and to Establish a Global Marketplace for Resilience Building Tools

January 15, 2015, New York, NY – 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) today announced a new partnership with Microsoft Corporation to help cities build cyber security strategies and combat online threats. Microsoft is joining 100RC’s “Platform Partners” – a group of organizations from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors that provide critical tools to help cities around the world become more resilient to the shocks and stresses that are a growing part of the 21st century.

“As governments become increasingly reliant on digital communications and commerce, cyber security has emerged as a top priority for our cities,” said Michael Berkowitz. “By partnering with an industry leader such as Microsoft, we are helping our cities build resilience so they can serve their citizens better in both good times and bad, and more ably address the challenges they face in a 21st century world.”

“Helping cities embrace technology for the future goes hand in hand with cybersecurity,” said Rob Bernard, chief environmental and cities strategist, Microsoft. “With Microsoft CityNext, we’re committed to equipping cities with the world’s premiere cybersecurity technology and helping city leaders identify vulnerabilities and plan against cyber threats. Partnering with 100RC will give us an opportunity to continue and expand that effort, allowing more cities to embrace new technology solutions with confidence.”

By working closely with a global partner network of specialized, smart-city-solution partners and cybersecurity experts Microsoft will provide the following to select 100RC member cities:

Best practices and resources for cities to develop a cybersecurity strategy as part of their resilience program

Cybersecurity experts who will lead workshops to help cities prioritize their cyber needs.

Facilitation of cybersecurity knowledge exchanges at 100RC-organized city workshops.

These tools will be made available to select members of 100RC’s Network, and will be used to help design and implement the cities’ long term resilience strategies. Platform partners are a vital component of 100RC’s efforts, both helping provide cities with tools they need to build resilience, and also influencing the market as other resilience tools are developed. Platform partners are from the private sector, public sector, NGO, and academic community.

Platform partners are dedicated to providing 100RC Network cities with solutions that integrate Big Data, Analytics, Technology, resilience land use planning, infrastructure design, and new financing and insuring products. Other 100RC platform partners include Swiss Re, Palantir, the World Bank, Architecture for Humanity the American Institute of Architects, and Sandia National Laboratories.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Get updates from Microsoft CityNext on Twitter here.About 100 Resilient Cities—Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation

100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. 100RC supports the adoption and incorporation of a view of resilience that includes not just the shocks – earthquakes, fires, floods, etc. – but also the stresses that weaken the fabric of a city on a day to day or cyclical basis. Examples of these stresses include high unemployment; an overtaxed or inefficient public transportation system; endemic violence; or chronic food and water shortages. By addressing both the shocks and the stresses, a city becomes more able to respond to adverse events, and is overall better able to deliver basic functions in both good times and bad, to all populations.

Cities in the 100RC network are provided with the resources along four main pathways: 1) Financial and logistical guidance for establishing an innovative new position in city government, a Chief Resilience Officer, who will lead the city’s resilience efforts; 2) Expert support for development of a robust resilience building strategy; 3) Access to solutions, service providers, and partners from the private, public and NGO sectors who can help them develop and implement their resilience strategies; and 4) Membership in a global network of member cities who can learn from and help each other. Through these offerings, 100RC aims not only help individual cities become more resilient, but to facilitate the creation of a global practice of resilience building.

100 Resilient Cities—Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation is financially supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and managed as a sponsored project by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides governance and operational infrastructure to its sponsored projects.

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